Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss
22 year old ufas are still subject to ELCs.
Everyone would have been capped at the max ELC.
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True.
If you sign your first NHL contract at age 22, it's only a two-year ELC… but the normal rules then apply, so you're a restricted free agent at 24 and eligible for full UFA status at 27. So you're looking at two years of rookie maximum plus a three-year bridge contract to take you to UFA.
Compare that with signing your ELC at 18, a bridge contract at 21, and potentially going UFA at 25. That gets you more money faster. Even if you don't play in the NHL until age 20, you're still UFA-eligible at 27 and get your second contract two years sooner.
It looks like a loophole at first glance, but really it's just a waste of two prime earning years.